Jestorball Hits The College Ranks

[Tim Moungey]

UNLV hauls in the #19 recruiting class. We're nowhere near the Top 25, but hell if I know what our class was ranked.

Here's what I do know:

Mike Boston - #308 nationally
Nathan Neal - #402 nationally
Nate Crockrom - #1000 nationally
Chris Banks - #1129 nationally

Recruiting By State
AR - 1
FL - 1
SC - 1
TN - 1

As of right now, before they even get to campus, Crockrom is a good bet to beat Jon Anderson for the starting PG spot. Boston and Neal probably won't win starting spots unless they improve in training. Banks is sadly garbage.

$82,000 in the bank so it's the Southeast Gold report again.

Brandon Sherrell sees the writing on the wall and is transferring out.

Hmm. The Big 10 freshman of the year and 2nd Team All-Conference is transferring out of Indiana. In fact, two second team All-Conference Hoosiers are leaving. Wow. So is an ACC All-Conference 2nd Teamer from Maryland.

We lower our sights to a more attainable player, however.

The two Indiana guys go to Oklahoma and Arizona, while the Maryland guy goes to Indiana. Our target went elsewhere, but I forgot his name already so I don't know where he went.

We successfully land our secondary target, C Marcus Bruton, a 6'8 246 lb sophomore to be. Originally from Santa Clara, CA, he went to University of San Diego (or University of Spoiled Daughters as the popular saying goes) and was a starter for USD. Evidently he wanted to experience another part of the country though, so here he is. 3.5 GPA, too.

He's not some wunderkind or anything like that, but if he were eligible right now, he'd probably be our starting center. Our most accurate inside shooter and it's not even close. Shot 52.4% and averaged 10 points and 4.5 rebounds with San Diego last year.

Brandon Sherrell and his 1.5 GPA transferred to Long Island. Good luck, buddy.

Going to the Memphis camp again. Recruiting starts anew with 2 scholarships. Larry Claxton and Kris Williams are graduating after this year. Claxton we might miss. Williams we won't.

[Tim Moungey]

We chase and chase a guy who finished in the Top 10 at Memphis, only to have him spurn us for Louisiana-Lafayette. We got our other main realistic target, however - a 6'4, 214 lbs high school senior who grades out with good passing, stealing, and athleticism, but no defense. His name's Ben Gaines.

For our scholarship, we keep shooting for the moon, losing to Duke. Reasonable target #3 goes off to Mississippi State. All the other guys left on our list have zero interest, so we'll again save a scholarship for a transfer.

Season Preview
Well, well what do you know? We're picked to finish 5th in conference this year, not dead last.

Starting Lineup
PG Jon Anderson (So)*
-9.1 points, 4.1 assists, 2.3 rebounds, 0.5 steals, 3.5 turnovers
Not the ideal PG for our system of course, but he's still the best floor general we have on the team, sad to say, so he'll again earn a starting nod.

SG Nate Crockrom (Fr)
At 6'5, 212 lbs, he has the size needed to play the 2 spot. I'm expecting a good first year out of him, enough to show he deserves the starting spot.

SF Larry Claxton (Sr)
6th man last season, he made some good strides in the offseason and will be rewarded with a starting gig in his senior year, replacing another senior who just departed.

PF Correy Sears (Jr)*
-10.1 points, 4.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 0.4 blocks
Still our best all-around player by far, though that isn't saying much at all, to be honest. I'm just thankful we have him here for another couple years while my young recruits and our transfers fill in.

C Reggie Jeter (Jr)
An unfortunate stopgap solution at center. Mike Boston is too raw and needed a redshirt, while Marcus Bruton is sitting out a year as a transfer student.

Team Prestige: 12 (Unchanged)
OVC Prestige: 24 (-2)

@ Howard (0-1)
Off to the nation's capital we go for our opener and drop a 64-63 heartbreaker. Larry Claxton's 12 points and 4 rebounds was the only really good performance, although Nate Crockrom led us in scoring with 13 points and Correy Sears just missed the double-double with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Tennessee-Martin: 0-1

@ Davidson (1-1)
God damn it. Another ****ing 1 point loss, this time 81-80 in OT. Larry Claxton was awesome with 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 steals. Nate Crockrom shot accurately for 19 points, and Correy Sears had 15 points and 8 rebounds. At least we're very quickly figuring out our Big 3.
Tennessee-Martin: 0-2

vs Winston-Salem State (0-3)
Finally at home and finally things go our way, an 85-77 OT win. Correy Sears broke out with 22 points and 9 rebounds, Jon Anderson had 20 points and 7 rebounds of his own, and senior reserve Kris Williams chipped in 10 points and 8 boards.
Tennessee-Martin: 1-2

Ben Gaines stops by and signs his LOI, and that's good enough for me right now.

[PointGuard]

Those 3 games should have given Jestor some gray hairs.

[Tim Moungey]

Those 3 games should have given Jestor some gray hairs.

You ain't just a whistlin' Dixie.

[Tim Moungey]

vs Vermont (1-2)
Our first non-close game of the season. Too bad we're on the wrong end of a 72-56 scoreline. Nate Crockrom and his 12 points are the only thing that don't suck about us this game.
Tennessee-Martin: 1-3

vs SC-Upstate (1-2)
We've had a ton of close games this year and this one's no different, a 73-70 victory keyed by balanced offense, headed by Kris Williams' surprise 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, Correy Sears' 13 points and 7 rebounds, and Jon Anderson's 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals (albeit with 4 turnovers).
Tennessee-Martin: 2-3

...****. I just looked at our goals this year and we're expected to finish in the Top 3 in the conference. Say what?

@ Albany (1-4)
Aggravating 77-71 loss. 19 points from Nate Crockrom, 11 points from Correy Sears and 14 points and 5 assists from Jon Anderson, but Anderson continues to average 4 turnovers a game.
Tennessee-Martin: 2-4

@ Stephen F. Austin (3-4)
We lose 79-66. I'm a terrible coach. 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals for Correy Sears and that's the only noteworthy performance.
Tennessee-Martin: 2-5

@ Drexel (2-3)
Our slide continues, 74-67. 16 points for Jon Anderson and at this rate, I'll be lucky to get a 3rd assistant job at Podunkville U.
Tennessee-Martin: 2-6

vs Kentucky Wesleyan (6-1)
This is me wondering before the game how the hell KW is 6-1. This is me after we get beat down 72-57. Nate Crockrom and Kris Williams with 15 and 13 respective points did great, but we're just really hurting for talent.
Tennessee-Martin: 2-7

@ Northern Colorado (6-3)
67-50 loss. Sure wish we had some good scorers or any decent talent at all. I mean, besides Correy Sears, who comes up with 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Tennessee-Martin: 2-8

@ UMKC (2-6)
A real opportunity to get some wins back under our belt, right? Wrong. Wrong. Oh so terribly 78-68 wrong. 15 points, 3 steals from Nate Crockrom is winning. Everything else is losing.
Tennessee-Martin: 2-9

Last year we were 8-19 (5-11). At the rate this is going, we won't even make last year's win total. 2 non-conference wins. Ridiculous.

[Tim Moungey]

Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks Non-Conference Leaders
Points
1. Nate Crockrom (Fr) - 13
2. Correy Sears (Jr) - 12.5
3. Jon Anderson (So) - 11.2
4. Larry Claxton (Sr) - 9.8
5. Kris Williams (Sr) - 7.9

Assists
1. Jon Anderson - 4.2
2. Larry Claxton - 1.7
3. Sanyika Cougar (Jr) - 1.6
T4. Nate Crockrom - 1.5
T4. Reggie Jeter (Jr) - 1.5

Rebounds
1. Correy Sears - 8
2. Larry Claxton - 5.9
3. Kris Williams - 5
4. Reggie Jeter - 4.9
5. Nate Crockrom - 3.9

Steals
1. Larry Claxton - 1.1
2. Correy Sears - 0.9
3. Jon Anderson - 0.7
4. Nate Crockrom - 0.6
5. Two tied with 0.5

Blocks
1. Correy Sears - 0.8
T2. Larry Claxton - 0.5
T2. Kris Williams - 0.5
4. Reggie Jeter - 0.4
5. Brian Dahl (Jr) - 0.2

If this is any indication, we're going to miss Larry Claxton next year. He's got a 92.3% drive stop rate as well, highest among our perimeter players.

@ Eastern Kentucky (9-2)
We shoot an ugly 30.6% and yet still manage to win 69-64 to open up with a monster road upset. How the hell we did it, I'm not sure. Larry Claxton wins Player of the Game with 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals, but everyone shot horribly today with the exception of Nate Crockrom, who was 3/6 for 9 points and 3 steals. Still, we'll take it, especially since that was our first road win of the entire year.
Tennessee-Martin: 3-9 (1-0)

vs Austin-Peay (5-7, 1-0)
Here's that old hateful close loss bug again, a 74-66 OT loss. 17 points for Nate Crockrom, but he allowed his opponent to ravage him for 36 points and sure Jon Anderson's 12 points and 7 assists look nice... until you look at his 8 turnovers. Ughtastic.
Tennessee-Martin: 3-10 (1-1)

vs Southeast Missouri State (3-9, 1-0)[/u]
These are games we need to win in order to have a shot at reaching my bat**** crazy administration's demand we make the Top 3 in conference. Happily, we win 79-66 behind [b]Correy Sears' great 16 point, 12 rebound double-double and Kris Williams' surprise 17 bench points.
Tennessee-Martin: 4-10 (2-1)

@ Tennessee Tech (7-6, 1-1)
Wait, did that just really happen? Did we actually.... yes we won two games in a row!!! First time in my coaching career that's happened, I think. Our 65-58 win was keyed by Correy Sears going for 15 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks and Kris Williams again exploding off the bench, this time for 16 points.
Tennessee-Martin: 5-10 (3-1)

@ Murray State (5-10, 2-2)
There's a whole lot of teams that are 2-2 in early OVC play, so a win here is crucial to keep pace with Austin Peay and Tennessee State, both of whom are 8-8 (4-1). And amazingly, we get the victory, 75-58, for our third straight. 12 points each from Correy Sears, Larry Claxton, and Jon Anderson, with 15 bench points from Kris Williams, who has really turned it on in conference play, and another 10 bench points from Brian Dahl.
Tennessee-Martin: 6-10 (4-1)

@ Eastern Illinois (9-7, 3-2)
Don't look now, but after our last win against Murray State, we're in a tie for the conference lead with Austin Peay. But the Panthers, who we play now, are right behind us. And yet, we take another road victory, our fourth straight win, 59-56. Great game from Jon Anderson with 12 points, 7 assists, and 4 rebounds, and Larry Claxton contributed 11 points of his own. We're winning ugly, but I'll still take it. How big was this win, incidentally? We just tied our number of conference wins from last year.
Tennessee-Martin: 7-10 (5-1)

vs SIU-Edwardsville (9-8, 2-4)
I smell trap game. We're now leading the OVC in first place because Austin Peay lost and we're up against the last place team in the conference at our place, with a win not only exceeding our conference victories last year, but tying our overall wins from my first season. Happily we go out and take care of business, 78-52. Larry Claxton is Player of the Game with 13 points and 8 rebounds, Correy Sears matches his 13, Nate Crockrom scores 12, and Kris Williams does his reserve thing with 11 points.
Tennessee-Martin: 8-10 (6-1)

vs Morehead State (8-10, 4-3)
The Eagles are a group of teams all knotted up for third place behind us and Austin Peay. Would really like to beat them here to keep the distance going. And we do 74-63, with Nate Crockrom scoring 19 points with 6 rebounds and Jon Anderson putting up 13 points.

OVC Halfway Standings
Tennessee-Martin: 7-1 (9-10)
Austin Peay: 6-2 (10-9)
Eastern Kentucky: 5-3 (14-5)
Morehead State: 4-4 (8-11)
Tennessee State: 4-4 (8-11)
Murray State: 4-4 (7-12)
Eastern Illinois: 3-4 (9-9)
SIU-Edwardsville: 3-5 (10-9)
Tennessee Tech: 3-5 (9-10)
Jacksonville State: 2-5 (4-14)
Southeast Missouri State: 2-6 (4-15)

[Tim Moungey]

So now I'm curious. How in the world is this happening?

Correy Sears leading the conference in rebounds with 8 per and a 44.7% FG conversion rate that's 2nd doesn't hurt. Nate Crockrom is third in FG shooting with 43.4%. Larry Claxton is third in steals at 1.4 a game. Jon Anderson is a surprising third in assists at 4.5, even with his horrible A/TO ratio. (Or at least horrible compared to what I'm used to).

Teamwise:
Points: 68.5 - 3rd
Assists: 14.7 - 2nd
Rebounds: 35.6 - 1st
Blocks: 2.4 - 5th

Opponent FG %: 42.8 - T-2nd
Opponent 3P % - 32.7 - 3rd

And so there you have it.

@ Tennessee State (8-11, 4-4)
Our next win, whether it's here or elsewhere, guarantees we finish .500 in conference play and have 10 wins on the season. And sadly, our win streak is snapped here, 68-50. Larry Claxton was the only one in double-digit scoring with 13 points and he was chuckariffic from 3 point range at 1 of 7.
Tennessee-Martin: 9-11 (7-2)

@ Jacksonville State (4-15, 2-6)
I'm really hoping this isn't the start of a losing streak to undo everything we did in the first half of the conference season. Especially against one of the OVC's worst teams. Larry Claxton ensures that doesn't happen, breaking out with 20 points and surprisingly aided by Reggie Jeter's 10 points and 14 rebounds in a gritty 65-56 win. Hooray, we've reached the all important dual set of markers! ...Important for last season, anyway. This year it's all about that top 3 finish.
Tennessee-Martin: 10-11 (8-2)

vs Tennessee Tech (11-10, 5-5)
We're now tied with Austin Peay for the conference lead again, with 6-4 Tennessee State, who just snapped our win streak two games ago, lurking close behind. Say hello to .500 overall at the latest point of any part of the season, a 79-69 win propelled by Jon Anderson's 12 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals, 14 points a piece from Correy Sears and Nate Crockrom, 12 points from Larry Claxton, and 13 bench points from Kris Williams.
Tennessee-Martin: 11-11 (9-2)

@ Southeast Missouri State (4-18, 2-9)
The Governors lost, so we're back in solo possession of first place, but we can't afford a letdown here against the last place team. So of course we get hammered 82-65 and I'm so irate I don't even look at the box score.
Tennessee-Martin: 11-12 (9-3)

@ Austin Peay (12-10, 8-3)
Our single biggest game of the season. Win this one and we go a long way to establishing the OVC title. Lose and we'll pretty much be dog-fighting to try and stay in the Top 3. AND HOLY CRAP WE PULL OUT THE ONE POINT UPSET, 79-78!!!!!!!!! Correy Sears played amazingly with 19 points and 9 rebounds and Kris Williams atoned for Reggie Jeter's foul trouble in a big way with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 2 steals off the bench.

Note: Austin Peay has the conference's leading scorer, sophomore SG Mikko Ohl. He torched us for 36 points last time and 31 points this game. All told, he's averaging 23.6 points a game and as long as he's around (the full four years because I hate early departures), the Governors will be a threat. But for now...
Tennessee-Martin: 12-12 (10-3)

vs Eastern Kentucky (17-6, 8-4)
I kind of have to feel bad for the Colonels. They're the class of the conference in my opinion and yet they're stuck in a tie for second with Austin Peay, a game and a half back. But I don't let the kids know that. We've got another a chance at going over .500 overall and a shot to pretty much clinch Top 3 in conference. 85-69 loss, unfortunately, but in my opinion, it was to be expected. Good going by Jon Anderson with 14 points, but we were just way outclassed.
Tennessee-Martin: 12-13 (10-4)

vs Murray State (9-16, 6-8)
So as it stands, we're tied with Eastern Kentucky for the conference lead. Austin Peay, at 9-5, is a game behind us. A game behind the Governors is 8-6 Morehead State, and the Eagles are the only team who have a shot at making us miss Top 3 status. They'll need to win both remaining games and we'll have to lose both for that to happen. We make it all a moot point with an ugly 59-41 win over the Racers. Larry Claxton holds his opponent to 0 points while scoring 16 with 9 rebounds, a block and 2 steals. Correy Sears has 14 points and 8 rebounds to serve as his second. It's a Pyrrhic victory, however, as Jon Anderson breaks his foot and is lost for the season.
Tennessee-Martin: 13-13 (11-4)

Well, we've accomplished our goals, so we may as well start freshman Chris Banks, who has been very unhappy about his lack of playing time. He needs more than 6.5 minutes a game to develop anyway.

vs Eastern Illinois (13-13, 7-8)
That win last time guaranteed we can finish no worse than second, thanks to Austin Peay's loss. No matter what happens here, I'm going to call this a really successful season. And it's a 68-54 win headlined by Nate Crockrom's 15 points and 7 rebounds, Reggie Jeter's 12 points and 7 rebounds, and Chris Banks' 12 points in his starting debut.
Tennessee-Martin: 14-13 (12-4)

Eastern Kentucky also won, so they win the Ohio Valley regular season crown and will play 4 seed Morehead State while we play 3 seed Austin Peay in the other game of the tiny OVC conference tournament. Feels odd to have so small a tournament, but in a way it's kind of nice, too. Rewards the teams that got it done during the regular season.

Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Semi-Final
#2 Tennessee-Martin: 14-13 vs #3 Austin Peay: 14-13

Obviously the key is going to be praying that Mikko Ohl doesn't beat us. That's going to be a hard task given that we're still breaking Chris Banks in as the starting PG. Realistically, the Governors are heavily favored in this one.

Sigh. 82-76 OT classic and Mikko Ohl kills us for 42 points. 17 points and 3 steals for Larry Claxton in his final college game, an uneven 12 points, 10 rebounds and 7 turnovers for Correy Sears, 11 points for Nate Crockrom, who got destroyed by Ohl, and 13 bench points for Kris Williams, also in his final game.

At least we gave it a hell of a shot and did more this year than anyone, including me, thought us capable of. Sure will be glad once Ohl graduates.

Ending Season Record: 14-14 (12-4) - 2nd in Ohio Valley, Lost in OVC Semi-Final

Mikko Ohl scores 34 points and Austin Peay upsets Eastern Kentucky 84-68 to earn the automatic NCAA bid, relegating the Colonels to the NIT. I don't see any possible way Ohl's not Ohio Valley Player of the Year.

Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks Final Season Leaders
Points
1. Correy Sears (Jr) - 11.5
2. Nate Crockrom (Fr) - 11.4
3. Larry Claxton (Sr) - 11
4. Jon Anderson (So) - 10
5. Kris Williams (Sr) - 8.6

Assists
1. Jon Anderson - 4.5
2. Reggie Jeter (Jr) - 1.6
T3. Larry Claxton - 1.5
T3. Chris Banks (Fr) - 1.5
5. Nate Crockrom - 1.4

Rebounds
1. Correy Sears - 7.6
2. Reggie Jeter - 5.6
3. Larry Claxton - 5.4
4. Kris Williams - 4.5
5. Nate Crockrom - 3.6

Steals
1. Larry Claxton - 1.3
2. Nate Crockrom - 0.8
T3. Correy Sears - 0.6
T3. Reggie Jeter - 0.6
5. Two tied with 0.5

Blocks
T1. Correy Sears - 0.5
T1. Kris Williams - 0.5
3. Larry Claxton - 0.4
T5. Reggie Jeter - 0.2
T5. Brian Dahl (Jr) - 0.2

Austin Peay gets the #14 seed in the Oklahoma City bracket, where they'll play the #3 seed Michigan State Spartans.

Eastern Kentucky is a #1 seed in the NIT East Region and were one of the last cuts to the NCAA tournament, much to their disappointment.

NIT Round 1
#1 Eastern Kentucky 74 #8 Winthrop 69
-Close game, but the Colonels avoid embarrassment.

NIT Round 2
#1 Eastern Kentucky 61 #4 Fresno State 59
-Nail-biter and a half, but they advance to the regional finals of the secondary tournament.

NCAA Round 1
#3 Michigan State 56 #14 Austin Peay 46
-Ouch. I did not expect the Governors to struggle that badly on offense. I thought Mikko Ohl looked really good for his 18 points and 6 rebounds, but he also had 4 turnovers and absolutely no help. This is a kid who I want to see if he can make the pros one day.

NIT Regional Final
#1 Eastern Kentucky 67 #6 Illinois State 46
-Squash match for the Colonels, who now go on to the NIT Final Four where they have a date with 4 seed UTEP.

NIT Final Four
#4 UTEP 69 #1 Eastern Kentucky 62
-Disappointing loss for EKU, but that's still a fantastic season in my opinion. Their board will no doubt agree, who simply wanted the Colonels in the Top 3 in the conference and to finish over .500. An Ohio Valley regular season conference title, a 25-7 record, and an NIT Final Four appearance more than surpasses that.

NCAA Final Four
#1 Texas A&M (32-0) vs #3 Indiana
#3 Michigan State vs #1 Syracuse

NCAA Championship
#1 Texas A&M vs #1 Syracuse

NCAA Champion
#1 Texas A&M with the Aggies having an undefeated 34-0 season!!! 62-59 was the final, a classic, classic game.

Awards Notes
-Mikko Ohl won Player of the Year, as expected.
-Correy Sears and Larry Claxton make Ohio Valley All-Conference First Team, my first All-Conference players!!!

No head coaching gigs open up, so I'm here for another year.

I have to hire a whole new set of staff because I let mine all walk. Oops.

[Tim Moungey]

I put together what I think is an awesome staff for this level and two out of the three coaches have very low ambition, so they should be happy just to stay here.

We have 3 scholarship seniors, 4 overall this season, and only $52,000 after assistants. The smart thing to do would be to... oh hell with the smart thing. I'm not changing my ways.

...Son of a bitch. Chris Banks, who I wanted to make our starting PG this year, is transferring out because he wasn't happy here and the starts he got after Jon Anderson's broken foot were too little, too late.

Transfers
SF Aaron Hampton - So - Tennessee State - Buffalo Grove, IL
In my opinion he's one of the best players on our team right now, and his potential is just ridiculous. I'm not going to lie - I don't know why Tennessee State didn't give him any playing time at all last year, but it made him and his 3.3 GPA very angry, so we were able to steal away a player from within our conference. He'll be our marquee player next year for sure.

C Greg Hall - So - Providence - Wilton, CT
54.3% shooting as a reserve last year for the Friars enticed us, but when we got him to sign, he frankly looks like garbage. Oh well, you live you learn.

Chris Banks wins the jackpot and gets a transfer to LSU. Good luck, Chris. Brandon Sherrell, incidentally, didn't get academically eligible for Long Island, so his college experience has been a waste.

Projected Starting Lineup
PG Sanyika Cougar (Sr)
-Worked his tail off (har har) in the offseason and has gradually risen from just under 5 minutes my first year here to just under 10 minutes last season and now he's surpassed Jon Anderson as the starter in his last year.

SG Nate Crockrom (So)*
-11.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 0.8 steals, 41.9%, 33.3% from long range
Still the only starter worthy player who has the size I prefer in my SGs. Almost lost his starting spot to either Cougar or Anderson but just barely hung on. Needs to improve his shooting, because as is, he's likely to lose his spot to Aaron Hampton next year.

SF Brian Dahl (Sr)
Unsung 10.7 minute per game reserve last year steps in for the graduated Larry Claxton. Worked the hardest of anyone in the offseason and gets rewarded with a starting spot, also in his last year.

PF Correy Sears (Sr)*
-11.5 points, 7.6 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, 46.6%
-Ohio Valley All-Conference 1st Team
Still our best all-around player and yet another senior. I'm really, really going to miss him. The true leader of this team ever since I got here and I don't have confidence enough in the remaining guys that we'll continue moving forward.

C Marcus Bruton (So)
Our huge pickup from San Diego last year. Finally, an inside shooter who will have to be respected. I just wish he was better on the glass. But he's still a major upgrade over Reggie Jeter from last year.

With only $19,000 in the bank, we're skipping camp travel this year. And so it's on to the recruiting grind.